In my U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,587, there is disclosed coil transfer apparatus for separating coils one-at-a-time from groups of coils and transferring them to a place for assembling in a coil spring assembly machine. During the course of transfer, the coils must be held not only for effecting the transfer, but also rotated about their longitudinal axes to position the knots at the ends of the coils in predetermined positions of orientation. In the aforesaid apparatus, there is a jaw arranged to take hold of a coil, withdraw it from a group of coils, move it in translation onto a rotor rotatable about a vertical axis to rotate the coil about its longitudinal axis and, following such rotation, transfer the coil to the place of assembly and, during such transfer, invert the coil end-for-end. While the coil is on the rotatable table, it is rotated about is vertical axis by a rotatable platform and necessarily during such rotation, the portion of the coil held by the jaw must be free to move in the jaw in spite of the engagement of the helice of the coil within the jaw. If the coils are relatively stiff, no problem exists with the apparatus described in the aforesaid patent. However, if the coils are of light gauge wire, the frictional resistance to rotational movement within the jaw is such that instead of the helix moving freely, the coil is actually wound about its longitudinal axis. Consequently, when the coil is finally released, it merely unwinds and, as a result, the knots of the successive coils are not properly oriented. The purpose of this invention is to provide an improvement in the coil holding jaw which will ensure rotation of the coil at the proper movement in its transfer, and hence, alignment of the knots in successive coils.